phifer



N0. BIS-3,434. Patented Feb. l4, I899.

W. I. PH IFER.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

I (Application filed Apr. 18, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 619,434. Patented Feb. l4, I899. W. I. PHIFER.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

I (Application filed Apr. 18, 1898.) (No Model.) S a Sheets-Sheet 2.

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ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

(Application filed Apr. 18, 189B.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVASHINGTON I. PHIFER, OF CALIFORNIA, MISSOURI ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 619,434, dated February 14, 1899.

Application filed April 18, 1898- Serial No. 678,036. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LWVAS HINGTON I. PHIFER, a citizen of the United States, residing at California, in the county of Moniteau and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in reversible rotary steam-engines; and the object is to simplify and improve the construction and increase the effectiveness of the machine.

To this end the invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement The same reference characters indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved reversible rotary steam-engine. Fig. 2 is a Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section. Fig. 5 is a central vertical section. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the steam-ports and reversingvalve. Fig. 7 is a detail plan of another form of reversing-valve. Fig. 8 is another form of piston-block. Fig. 9 is a detail of the cut-ofi plates 35 36. Fig. 10 is a detail of the follower-block.

1 denotes the cylinder-casing, open at each end and formed with the radial horizontal slide-cases 2 3 and the integral legs 4: 4.

5 6 denote the cylinder-heads detachably secured to the casing by means of the bolts 7 7, and these heads are provided with axial bearings 8 8, in which is journaled the main shaft 9, to which the cylindrical piston 10 is keyed. The parallel ends of this piston are each provided with concentric packing-- grooves 12 13 to receive the packing-rings 15 represents the live-steam port, communicating with the annular steam-chamber 16 formed in the piston, and 17 denotes an alined inlet-port in the head and communicating with said chamber 16.

18 represents the exhaust-port in the piston, and it communicates with the steamchamber 19, which in turn communicates with thesteam-port 20 in the head. It must be understood that there is an inlet and an outlet port 17 and 20 in each cylinder-head, and likewise each head is provided with a steam-chest 21 and a slide-valve 22, operated byavalve-stem 23, so that in each head when one port is open the other is closed, and vice versa, the only difference being that the slide on the exhaust side of the engine will be on the inside of the cylinder.

24 denotes a radial rib dovetailed longitudinally into the periphery of the piston, and 25 represents the follower 0r piston block, which is formed on its inner face with a corresponding groove 26 to receive the rib 24, and it is so arranged as to fill the space between the inner face of the cylinder and the outer face or periphery of the piston between the ports 15 and 18.

27 and 2S denote slide-plates located in the cases 2 and 3, and they are reciprocated by means of the rods 29 29, adjustably secured to the yokes 3O 30, the free ends of which are provided with friction-rollers 31 31, which e11- gage the flanges 32 32 on the cams 33 33, fixed on the main shaft 9 on the opposite sides of the cylinder, so as to give the proper reciprocating movement to the plates 27 28. These cams 33 are worthy of special mention and, as will be seen, each cam is provided with the continuous parallel flanges 32 32 to form the intervening groove which constitutes the pathway of therollers 31 31, and it will be noted that this pathway may be said to consist of two semicircular grooves of different diameters, the smaller groove Abeing concentric with the shaft 9, while the larger groove B is eccentric to said shaft, so that while the rollers 31 are in the groove A the inner edges of their respective slide-plates are held dead against the periphery of the piston for a half or may be a trifle more than a half of its revolution, and then when the rollers leave the groove A and enter the groove B the said slide-plates are moved outwardly to permit the passage of the follower-block 25, and then moved inwardly again to close the steam-chamber behind the followerblock. An important feature of this form of cam and its peculiar adaptability to a reversible rotary engine is the fact that it performs its functions perfectly without regard to the direction in which the engine is running.

Of course it will be understood that the ends or arms of the yokes 30 30, which carry these friction-rollers 31, work in suitableguides, as 37 37, fixed to the cylinder-heads and shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, to insure a perfect reciprocating movement of the yoke.

As shown in Fig. 3, the piston is assumed to rotate in the direction of the arrow, the. valve 22 in the head 6 being set to open the port 17 and close the port 20, while the corresponding valve in the head 5 is reversely set with the corresponding port 17 closed and the port 20 open. Steam being now admitted through the port 17 in the head 6 passes into the annular chamber 16, and thence through the port 15 into the space between the piston and the cylinder, its passage in one direction being cut off by the pressure-plate 28, thereby permitting the steam to exert its force on the piston-block 25 to rotate the piston in the direction of the arrow, the exhaust-steam on the opposite side of the piston between the block 25 and the plate 28 escaping through the port 18 into the chamber 19 and from said chamber 19 through the port 20 in the opposite cylinder-head 5.

Of course it will be understood that the cams 33 33 are so timed as to withdraw the pressure-plates 27 and 28 at the proper moment for the passage of the piston-block and close them again against the piston after the block has passed. In reversing the engine it is only required that the position of the valve 22 in each cylinder-head be reversed, so that the port 17 will be closed and the port 20 in the head 6 will be opened, and in the head 5 the port 17 will be opened and the port 20 closed, thus reversing the direction of the steam and consequently the rotation of the piston.

By means of the arrangement shown in Fig. 7 the ports, steam-chest, and valve in one of the heads may be dispensed with and the D- valve 22' substituted for the flat plate-valve 22, and an exhaust-port 34 is cored out in the head 6 between the ports 17 and 18, so that the live steam may be admitted to either chamber 16 or 19 at will. As shown in the figure, 17 is the live-steam port, and 20 the exhauststeam port, and by simply reversing the position of the valve 20 becomes the inlet and and 17 the outlet port.

The pressure-plates 27 28 are provided with one or more orifices to admit steam to their edges to equalize the pressure of the steam on both ends, and thus balance the plates, so that but little power will be required to move them.

In Fig; 3 I have shown the follower-block 25 as being solid, which will answer for small motors, say of one-horse power and under; but over that I prefer to make it as shown in detail in Fig. 10, in which the follower-block is divided lengthwise,with springs between to hold the ports in contact with the cylinder and piston, and a cross-piece is inserted between the sections, as shown, which forms a packing-strip and at the same time allows for expansion and contraction.

In an engine of this character running at ordinary speed the centrifugal force developed will -act as a packing to hold the follower-block 25 against the inner face of the cylinder and form a steam-tight joint; but in very high speeds I have adopted the form shown in Fig. 8 to prevent the follower-block creating undue friction on the cylinder. In this form I provided the rib 24. with an enlarged head 24, which is snugly seated in a corresponding socket formed in the followerblock and the inner face of the block contiguous to the piston and on each side of the rib and allow the steam to act as packing for the follower-block in either direction in which the engine may be rotating.

As shown in Fig. 9, I provide the inlet end of the piston with segmental plates and 36, adjustably secured thereto in line with the chambers 16 and 19, so as to cut off the steam before the end of each half-revolution of the piston, and thus utilize the confined steam expansively for the balance of the stroke or the remaining portion of the halfrevolution, and these cut-off plates are each provided with a small orifice extending through the plate, and over the inner end of the orifice is a clapper-valve, which will admit steam to start the engine should the engine stop with these plates over the induction-ports.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letteis Patent of the United States, 1s-

1. The combination, in a reversible rotary steam-engine,of a cylindrical casing 1 formed with oppositely-arranged slide-cases 2, 3, the removable cylinder-heads 5, 6, formed with transverse steam-ports l7 and 20, an independently operated slide -valve adapted to control said ports, a cylindrical piston 10 journaled in said casing and formed with the radial rib 24. arranged longitudinally on the periphery of said piston, and the concentric steam-chambers 16, 19, the follower-block 25 loosely mounted on said rib, the pressureplates 27, 28 mounted in said slide-cases 2 and 3, and means for imparting an alternate intermittent reciprocating movement to said pressure-plates, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a reversible rotary steam-engine, of the cylindrical casing 1 formed with the integral oppositely-arranged slide-cases 2 and 3, the removable cylinderheads 5 and 6 formed with steam inlet and outlet ports, a slide-valve 22 adapted to control said ports and means for operating said Valves independently of the movement of the engine, the cylindrical piston 10 j ournaled in said casing and formed with the radial rib 24, the independent annular steam-chambers 16, 19 communicating with said ports and the radial passages 15 and 18 communicating with said chambers, the segmental plates 35 and 36 adj ustably secured to said piston in 

